Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CAVAN GAELS (CAV) v SLAUGHTNEIL (DER) THE FRAME GAME
Gaels star Lyng wants to see historic winning team photo on his club’s walls
CAVAN Gaels skipper Micheal Lyng doesn’t need anyone to remind him Sunday’s Ulster club final is a once-in-a-career opportunity.
The 32-year-old has played with Gaels for 15 years and this is the first time they have won back-to-back games in Ulster, becoming the first Breffni side in 40 years to reach the final.
A quick glance around the dressing room walls of clubhouses around the county tells him all he needs to know about what will be at stake in the Athletic Grounds against holders Slaughtneil.
“We talked about it earlier in the year, that when you go into other dressing rooms in the county they’ve got pictures on the walls of their county winners,” Lyng said. “Everyone has got county winners but not one club in Cavan has got an Ulster senior title. For us to be the first ever team in Cavan would be unique and pure history.
“We lost about four semi-finals before this so it was really good to get over that hurdle and get to a first final.
“For most of us this is all new and it’s brilliant.”
Injury disrupted
Lyng’s stint with the county, which he brought to a premature end in 2010.
Injury problems are dogging him now too on the eve of the biggest day of his club career.
A hamstring problem, picked up the Friday night before the drawn semi-final with Derrygonnelly, has meant he only played a few minutes in both games.
He said: “The first game came too soon but I got it scanned and they said it was a 10-day thing.
Sunday was 10 days so I was on course to come back anyway.
“I got a bit more game time in the replay and hopefully I’ll see a bit more on Sunday but it is hard to get back into a winning team.”
Lyng is a PE teacher in St Bricin’s
College in Belturbet, home town of his manager and former Cavan right side. Winning 19, 20 games in a row helps you dig games out team-mate Jason Reilly. in the last few minutes like we did In his first year in on Sunday. Jason is a great fella, he charge Reilly, the is all about the simple things and goalscoring hero doing the simple things well.” of Cavan’s last Reilly isn’t the only ‘blow-in’ in Anglo-celt triumph the Gaels set-up. Even Lyng, with in 1997, has turned nine county SFC medals for the things around for club to his name, cannot claim to the Gaels. be a born-and-bred townie.
They have gone from Long-time sparring partner scrapping in a Sean Johnston (left) has 10 but relegation final last Lyng explained: “I wasn’t in the year to winning every club when Seanie won his first in league and 2001, I have catching up to do! championship “We moved into Cavan town from Crosserlough when I was 17. game in “We won three-in-a-row in 2017. 2003-2005 and again in 2007-2009. Lyng We have come back with a whole said: “At new team apart from me and Seanie. differ- ent times There’s a whole crop of lads we had tight games and we always with two or three championships seemed to come out the and they’re driving the thing on.”